5 Reasons Virtual Doctor Visits are Becoming More Popular
Over the past two decades, telehealth has evolved from a novelty to an essential tool for dispersing mass healthcare. In light of the current pandemic, its importance and utility have become more viable than ever. In fact, many medical and technology figureheads have forecasted that eventually, telehealth will become the standard in the medical field for non-life threatening conditions. If you haven’t already implemented telehealth at your practice, now’s the time to research your options and make the investment.
What are Virtual Doctor Visits?
Traditionally, whenever someone realizes they are feeling ill, they have to set up an appointment with a healthcare provider over the phone and then travel to the provider’s location. Instead of taking all this trouble, telehealth provides patients and providers the easy solution of virtual doctor visits. Using the appropriate telecommunication technology and devices, patients and healthcare providers can interact in real-time and complete the appointment without needing to meet physically. With most of the general population having wi-fi and broadband connectivity, providing telehealth has never been easier. It reduces administrative processes and allows patients to be more comfortable in their interactions. Virtual doctor visits are near perfect for most non-life threatening health conditions. But its limitations become a bit more apparent when advanced procedures such as physical tests, X-rays, or sample collection are required. Any of these more scenarios would still necessitate an in-office appointment.
How do Virtual Doctor Visits Work?
Virtual doctor appointments are easy to set-up and complete in a simple manner. While telehealth platforms differ from one another, most follow the same basic procedures:
- The patient first sets up a virtual appointment with the healthcare provider.
- The patient fills out a form with their brief medical history and preferred payment method.
- At the appointed time, both the provider and the patient will launch the telehealth app from their desktop, smartphone, or tablet.
- The patient is diagnosed by the healthcare provider in real-time and provided prescriptions.
The fast pace and simplicity of this process saves care providers significant time. Software options like Telehealth from Otto Health also include automation features that make telehealth practices even more efficient.
Why are Virtual Doctor Visits Becoming More Popular?
The increase in physicians and patients partaking in telehealth is in part due to the widespread accessibility of the Internet and smart devices. However, this only partially explains the rising popularity of the technology. More and more health care providers are using telehealth because of the many benefits of the software. For example:
#1 Convenient
Getting a doctor’s appointment is a busy city is easy, but for those who live in suburbs and rural areas, that’s not the case. Telehealth makes it more convenient for healthcare providers to provide their service in hard to reach areas. Currently, many patients suffering from different medical conditions cannot risk going out due to the pandemic worldwide. Telehealth is picking up the slack and allowing thousands of doctors to connect with their patients without putting either side at risk.
#2 Time-Saving
In the world of healthcare, time is extremely valuable. Traditional doctor’s appointments can waste time for both the care provider and the patient. From setting up an appointment to maintaining records, a lot of administrative processes bog down each visit. It also takes a lot of time for a patient to travel to the office, sit in the waiting room, receive care, and then check out. Telehealth eliminates these inefficiencies. As a result, doctors can dedicate more time to each patient, and patients can receive medical attention without having to plan their entire day around an appointment.
#3 Affordability
Since virtual doctor visits take place online, they tend to be very affordable. As many physicians worldwide have already seen, using telehealth drives down costs. With automated record keeping, you’ll need fewer employees. Telehealth also helps cut down on overhead expenses.
#4 Quality Care
Because telehealth allows doctors to spend more consultation time on each patient, they can offer individuals higher quality care. Since record-keeping is automated, a healthcare provider can spend more time attending to patients instead of doing administrative work. Also, physicians can video record visits and save the videos for reference later on, eliminating unnecessary confusion and reducing the likelihood of mistakes.
#5 Easy Connection
Telehealth technology allows patients to access care with the devices they already own, such as laptops, desktops, smartphones, and tablets. Across devices, patients and doctors can choose to communicate through audio, video, or text via an app. The convenience of connectivity makes it easy for health providers to reach out to the masses. In general, there are two types of virtual doctor visits: live or pre-recorded. Both have their benefits, but live telehealth services are generally more popular.
Investing in Telehealth Services
Hopefully, this article makes it easier for you to decide whether or not your practice is ready to take the leap toward telehealth services. Especially during the current pandemic, alternative healthcare options are more important than ever.
